Naruto Phenex
by SamaelTheDevil
Summary: Rias was feeling frustrated and helpless in her marriage contact, when she receives a missive from the Phenex Family informing her of the monumental changes in her contract which she was sure was going to effect her life in everyway possible. The only question was whether it was a positive or a negative one...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello guys, I have adopted this story from crazyrajat, and I will be the one who will be continuing this. This chapter is quite similar to his, but I will be making my own changes to it from the second chapter. Hope you guys will like it... This chapter has went to an another overhaul so that you have better reading experience...**

 **Chapter - 1**

 **Kuoh Academy.**

Possibly one of the most famous education facilities in present-day Japan, originally a school made solely for women; With the advent of western feminism and the reshuffling of administration, the school was finally converted to an open-forum co-educational institute. As an old school, it had its accolades. Multiple hundreds of them, in fact. Most of the school's alumni ended up in important positions of power, not only in Japan, but internationally. Added to that, the town of Kuoh was one of the more reclusive territories under devil jurisdiction. These two factors were what made the school important to devil kind. Subsequently, when the heirs of two of the most influential families of the underworld required human education, they were sent here. It was elementary, really, that the town was heavily defended against any occult intrusion.

Sadly, even the illusion of complete security was not enough to set their minds at ease, especially on this day.

One of the two heirs, and arguably one of the bigger causes behind the school's popularity among the male student populace in all of Kuoh, the red-haired ruin princess, Rias Gremory, was lost in her thoughts. And none of them were of the comforting kind. After all, it wasn't every day that her siscon brother, who was also –by the way- the supreme leader of the underworld, asked her for a secretive meeting with a straight, serious face. It definitely was very unlike him. Sirzechs Lucifer, her brother, was known and loved for his jovial, lighthearted nature. He was also known to be a borderline pervert when it came to his own sister. The fact that he was able to reign in his own nature and act like someone he definitely wasn't served to raise a hundred red flags in her mind.

"Is everything alright Buchou?" Akeno asked, a frown marring her regal, borderline perfect face, "You've been spacing out for quite a while now. Thinking about a boy, are you?"

Rias couldn't help but shake her head, a genuine smile growing on her face. This was one of the many reasons that she had chosen the members of her peerage herself, rather than have her brother chose them for her. They were like family. They looked out for each other, no matter how big or small the problem was, they always had each-other's backs. She was one of the few high-class devils who believed that devils who treated their peerage like slaves were trash. Unlike a certain Phenex she was reluctant to name, or even think about for that matter.

"I am just worried about the little… session… we have with my brother," Rias replied, her smile dropping just a bit. "He sounded quite serious about the entire thing, and to make it worse, he didn't deign to reveal any pertinent details behind his sudden visit, almost as if he himself didn't know any more than I do." Rias finished, an expression of annoyance and frustration plastered on her unblemished face. Her brother was still the same, bumbling, tactless fool she knew and loved, no matter how serious he got.

"I am sure everything will work out," Akeno consoled her like a mother would her child, acting out of concern rather than staying true to her overly-flirtatious character. "You and I both know how much Sirzechs adores you, he won't let anything happen to you. He isn't a Satan for nothing, you know?" she countered, eliciting a sigh from her red-headed master.

"I guess you're right." Rias commented, but it was easy for her peerage to notice that the conversation hadn't even scratched the skin of her apprehensiveness. And how could it? The circumstances surrounding her current predicament were quite exemplary to begin with. Secretive meetings between devil clans weren't usually so abrupt. Devils were, after all, an ancient race. And like every other race blessed with similar or greater longevity, they too had their own customs and norms. A meeting held in a hurry was usually a meeting held in either bad faith or an emergency. Her brother was an honorable man, and he was, after all, her brother. So the first scenario was out of the question, which only left the second. And considering how their relations were with the other factions, the second scenario was looking increasingly terrifying as she gave it more thought.

"I am sure it won't be that bad, right?" Issei asked awkwardly, giving his own two cents to comfort his Buchou. His concern for Rias was apparent. After all, he had even foregone the usual lecherous looks he so-often gave her. The ability to set his lust aside did prove to his peers that there was more to the deviant boy than met the eye. That said, his concern was made a lot more genuine because he was looking her in the eyes. That wasn't really an easy feat to accomplish, considering there was a lot more else to see regarding the woman he had quite literally devoted his life to.

"I won't be so sure, Issei." Kiba interjected, ever the cynic. "Buchou's brother is the Lucifer. As the leader of the four Maous, there is no one higher up in the hierarchy than him, not to mention his immense personal strength. So, if he's asking for a meeting in an official capacity, then we have every reason to be nervous." He reasoned with a hard stare, making the entire room go silent. As his reasoning sunk in, the atmosphere tensed up to the point where one could metaphorically cut it with a knife. Even Issei and Asia, two of the most carefree individuals of Rias' peerage gulped. They were going to talk to the supreme leader of Underworld! It was akin to a meeting with the president of the United States, except, the president didn't have the power to destroy the people that angered him at a molecular level. At least not at will. The gravity of the situation finally got to them, and they too, found themselves craving answers.

Sadly, these doubts never got to be voiced, as a small light appeared in the middle of the clubhouse, expanding outwards as it grew. The Gremory sigil appeared in the center, glowing with red, arcane energy that was a staple of their demonic lineage. As it was, it struck fear into the hearts of Rias' peerage. This wasn't expected, not at this juncture of time, at the very least.

 _He's too early!_ Rias screamed in her mind. The meeting was supposed to occur in the evening, when there were no witnesses around, human or otherwise. The Lucifer was coming early, and that just made the doubt and panic nested in Rias' head grow by exponential levels. This was definitely bad. How bad? She'd have to wait to find out.

Everyone watched with trepidation as the infamous Lucifer and his equally infamous Queen strolled into their club with grace that belied humanity, even though their appearance suggested otherwise. It served to remove what little doubt there was that the pair was decidedly not human. They looked too… perfect. Both as individuals and as a duo, with the Lucifer walking in front and his _seemingly_ demure wife just few steps behind.

Issei was struck dumb by the similarities between Rias and her brother. They looked almost identical, save for their basic gender differences. In his mind, he could see them both naked, and comparisons were being made at the speed of light. Suffice to say, that was not a mental image that would leave his mind for a painfully long time. As for the devil lord's quarry, she was, put simply, perfection given form. Her long, silver hair brought out the piercing, cold beauty of her silver eyes, and her pale, flawless alabaster skin gave her an ethereal glow. Issei couldn't help himself, so he did what came naturally. He stood there and gawked.

"You are early, brother." Rias stated with a pointed glare, crossing her arms, "So, mind telling me what issue was so pressing that it made you, the _leader_ of the underworld, forgo your duties and come to our humble abode? More so, how come Grayfia allowed it?" She interrogated, tapping the ground with her foot at a fevered pace. Her impatience clear to see.

"Aww, Rias-tan!" Sirzechs Lucifer replied childishly, a pout destroying his stately persona, "Are you not happy to see your dear onee-sama? I missed you so much!" Sirzechs groaned, causing the entire ORC to cringe simultaneously. Kiba sighed, the more powerful the person, the more weird his or her habits. Reinforcing his observation was the presence of Grayfia, the strongest queen, and a person who was more at-home behaving as a maid than as the consort of the strongest devil in the underworld.

For all her political training under the Gremory household, Rias found herself having a hard time controlling her wrath, she just couldn't believe that her brother had the time to joke around when clearly he had asked for the meeting under totally different circumstances. Thankfully, her sister-in-law had the decency to cruelly twist her brother's cheeks before he embarrassed her any further.

"You're supposed to be the leader of the Underworld, Lucifer-sama. What kind of example do you think you're setting for the young, impressionable devils in this room?" Grayfia chastised her husband as she refused to release her hold on his cheek, "Is it really that hard for you to act mature?" Struggling and in pain, the leader of the Underworld shot his wife a look begging for mercy "I'm shorry Grahfiaa," Sirzechs whined through his swollen cheek, barely holding back his tears, "It whon't happhen aghain!"

With one, final painful-looking twist, Grayfia let go, slipping back from the disciplinarian attitude of hers to the initial, demure look of extreme perfection. The change was instantaneous, but a message had been delivered to the ORC clubroom's current inhabitants.

Grayfia was strong and scary, and that she did not like it when people broke decorum. Both Issei and Kiba stiffen up uncharacteristically, it wouldn't do them any good for Grayfia to find them lounging around as they usually did. If she could be that strict in punishing her husband, the lord Lucifer, god knows what she'd do to underlings of the Gremory family, underlings like them.

Luckily, before the Queen-maid could turn her attention towards Rias' peerage, Sirzechs had already recovered. Instantly, the expression on his face devolved from his initial, playful one into one that was markedly much more serious. His lips were pressed together in a straight, grim line, and his eyes were narrowed, the arches of his eyes sharp enough to cut skin. The room's mood changed likewise, and every single devil found themselves subconsciously on-edge.

"To tell the truth I am afraid that even I am unaware of the entire reason of this meeting," Sirzechs answered. "What I do know is that this meeting was requested, no, begged for by the Phenex. As you know, the Phenex are a proud house, they are the house of the Marquis, and I have never, in my long, long life seen the proud Phenex beg. I accepted their request, even though I know as much about it as you."

That was the wrong thing to say, as Rias' anger flared. Her brother had accepted a request from the very house that wanted her as a bride for their… douchebag … of a son. A house that wanted her, not for her capabilities, but as an incubator for their future heir. What more, Sirzechs hadn't even deemed it necessary to tell her to expect the Phenex in the first place. Lucifer or not, how _dare_ he?

"You knew that the meeting was with the Phenex and you didn't even think about giving me a heads up," Rias snarled with her teeth bared, her rage causing her to shake with uncontrollable fervor. "I have told you this time and time again. _I am not marrying Riser Phenex._ That was my decision back when I was a preteen, and that is my decision now _._ " She exhumed, her devil power leaking out of her body oppressively.

Meanwhile, if one heard closely, one could hear the sound of Issei's heart shattering. The girl of his dreams was engaged, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Rias stood before her brother defiantly as her knuckles turned white. By Gods! She hated her soon to be fiancé, he was the lowest of the low. She would rather die than marry someone like Riser Phenex. It would be a cold day in hell before she let him lay as much as a hand on her. Her loathing for him ran deep, and she couldn't find a singular thing about him that she liked. Be it his laisses-faire attitude towards life, or the way he treated his peerage. Speaking of peerages, her own was visibly concerned, seeing their leader's distressed, agitated visage. And while they would go to hell if Rias asked them to –both literally and figuratively- they knew that Rias would never forgive them if they so much as tried to raise a hand against her brother. Not that they had much of a chance against two of the strongest devils in the underworld.

Before Sirzechs could try to calm her sister down and explain the situation to her, a bright light invaded everyone's senses. Rias looked towards the teleportation circle and immediately she scowled in distaste.

Koneko whispered, "Phenex Crest."

Every member of Rias peerage went on high alert, reacting instinctively to Koneko's proclamation. They half expected to be greeted by the tasteless playboy of Underworld, Riser Phenex. Although, much to their surprise, a man and a woman who seemed to be in their late twenties walked out of the light, making their way into the club's innermost sanctum. A flash of recognition passed through ever singular member of the ORC, save for Issei and Asia. The man in front of them was, after all, a household name in the Underworld. Lord Phenex, the esteemed Marquis of the underworld. A man with money, power and stature in equal measure. The man slated to be Rias' father in-law. And behind him, trailed his wife, a devil who once held the title of the underworld's strongest female devil, till it was stolen by Kataera Leviathan. A prodigy in the arts of her family, and a master of the arcane.

Sadly, Issei and Asia, being newly reincarnated devils, had not a single inkling as to who the new duo in the room were. For all they knew, these two could have been stray devils. Though what _was_ apparent to them was the gap between their own powers and that of the Phenex duo. It was also mope than apparent to see that the people that had just walked into the room were comparatively much more… affluent… than almost anyone he had ever met, save for Sirzechs and his own wife. It almost looked effortless, their own grace and beauty. They didn't simply have grace, they _were_ grace.

"Greeting, Lord and Lady Phenex, it's an honor to meet you both." Rias said with a slight curtsy and the customary disciplined smile that she had sported in each and every one of her encounters with nobles. "I just wish that it could have been under better circumstances." Her anger did not determine how she treated her peers or her superiors, it would reflect badly on both her family and her upbringing if her manners were any less than perfect.

But apparently, the Phenex lord who stood in front of them wasn't much of a stickler for rules and norms, he waved his hand in greeting, derailing Rias' train of thought. "Ah, Rias. It has been far too long. There is no need for any formalities around us, you know?" He stated, making Rias narrow her eyes in suspicion. Behind the lord, his wife laughed, as if she and her husband just shared a joke that the rest of the gathering wasn't in on.

Now, for the record, Rias liked the Lord and Lady Phenex, that too, a lot. Quite the converse of her relationship with their son, she actually admired Lord Phenex for managing a house as large and successful as their own, and he admired his wife for her grace, power, and easygoing attitude, which even put her own husband's light going nature to shame. As such, she knew that the Phenex elders were known to be a lot more boisterous than they were currently letting on. She hadn't ever seen them act so subdued, even in the parties and balls she was made to attend as a child, while surrounded by company that was much more powerful and notable than their current contemporaries. It almost felt like they were… afraid.

"I truly apologize for the… setting… for this meeting, Sir and Ma'am. Had you warned me on prior notice, I would have been able to arrange for a better place for a meeting." Rias apologized, bowing her head as she did so. Lord Phenex shook his head, nullifying any feeling of animosity r shame any other demon of their status would have felt regarding the venue. "It couldn't be helped, Rias. We ourselves were pretty short on time, and might I say it, I would gladly take a homely place like this over a stuffy conference room." He retorted, a shaky, yet grateful smile on his face. Again, his voice and the matter of conversation reeked of hidden desperation. The Phenex wanted something, and they wanted it posthaste.

"So, mind telling us the reason for this sudden visit. Lord?" Sirzechs asked, taking a seat after offering the Lord and Lady their own, Grayfia took her position behind her husband, ever watchful, ever alert. And her gaze definitely didn't miss the Lord's smile drop for a second. Neither did she miss the apprehensive gazes cast on the Phenex clan members by Rias' peerage. She'd need to have a word with them later regarding social norms and standing, but in a situation as exemplary as this, even she couldn't stop her own apprehensiveness from surfacing. Before she could make any assumptions, though, the lord began to speak. "Before I speak of this issue, I must make a request." He spoke, trepidation apparent on his face, as he locked eyes with Sirzechs, the most powerful and stately devil in the room. "A request that whatever I tell you will not leave the confines of this room and your two peerages." He concluded, his smile disappearing, replaced by a hopeful, yet steely expression. Sirzechs gave it a minute of though. A tense minute, sure, but nothing more, as he nodded in response.

All of a sudden, Lord Phenex's steely, perfect visage shattered. It was replaced by an expression of relief. He sank deeper into the sofa he was sitting on, while a smile of gratitude appeared on his wife's face. That wasn't all, though. Their slip of emotion was more than just a byproduct of the Lucifer's wordless promise. But also a decidedly human buildup of grief and chagrin, two feelings which confused the congregation with their existence. As the Lord righted his posture, his expression was melancholic to say the least. And while Sirzechs and Rias both lightly resented the Phenex household, due to the marriage contract and Riser's irreverent behavior in general. Sirzechs would be the first to admit that his claim to the title of Lucifer wouldn't have been accepted quite as unanimously if he hadn't received the backing of the current Marquis of hell. The man in front of him had fought alongside his father and him. His family and their priceless tears had been instrumental in their victory, Pyrrhic though it might have been.

Rias, on the other hand was flabbergasted. To see Lord Phenex, a man who she respected despite the marriage contract as a perfect example of devil nobility reduced to an emotional wreck in front of her completely shook up her belief in the impersonality of the devil nobility. It only took one glance from the sad man to convince her to lend an ear to whatever his issue might be, long-standing grudges be damned.

After a minute of total silence Lord Phenex finally collected his emotions, hiding his true intent under a thin veneer of courtesy, "What I am going to tell you today is one of our most guarded secrets. Our trump card, so to speak, in a world where power is rapidly replacing ancestry and bloodline." He stated, eliciting a tense nod from both Sirzechs and Rias. Seeing that they understood the gravity of the request to come, he spoke.

"Riser… is not my youngest son."

And then, there was pin-drop silence. One could almost liken it to the calm before the storm. And when the storm did come, after exactly seven seconds, it came bearing Lord Lucifer's wrath itself.

"WHAT?" Sirzechs roared, his power choking every devil in the room. "You dared keep something as important as the birth of a son from the council? What are you even thinking? You know that it is imperative that every child born to the 72 pillars be reported to the council am I correct?" He growled. The only reason births were kept secret were when there were grand plots in the works. Sirzechs, Akuja, Serafall and Falbium were born in secrecy. They weren't made known to the world till their bloodlines were fully mastered. At that point of the civil war, they were unstoppable. Hence, once they held the reins of the underworld in their hands, they had made a clear policy that every child born to a noble house must be registered within the compendium of birth. A counter-policy against rebellion. What Lord Phenex had done was tantamount to treason.

"Calm yourself, Sirzechs!" Grayfia shouted, gesturing towards the remaining devils, who were choking on the devil's miasma, Sirzechs' power had too debilitating an effect on lower-level devils. Even Rias, defended by the same power that his bloodline afforded him, was wincing in pain, under the pressure off his oppressive power. Seeing his sister in pain was anathema to him, and he reined in his anger, and the power that came with it. It didn't stop him from pointing yet another angry glare at the Phenex lord, who looked assuredly guilty. He was about to explain, when his wife decided to step in.

"That would be the case normally, lord. But my youngest son, Naruto, wasn't born to us." She stated, her voice shaking with each word, seeing Sirzechs's expression devolve from anger to confusion, she continued. "We adopted him when he was three that was more than thirteen years old. We were planning to induct him into the family formally when he turned ten. But he just left when he was six." She sighed, "He was inducted into our family as a counterfoil to any card that the old Satan faction might possess." A wistful, sad expression replaced the guilt on her face. "We came to love him, though. He was a ray of light. When he left, we were devastated. And for years, we believed he was dead."

That was breaking point for the sentimental lady, as she burst into a sobbing wreck in front of the entire congregation. Her husband moved closer to her, holding her with tenderness. He didn't cry, because for a Phenex to cry in the open was considered shameful by the devil community in general. But it was apparent that he was close to it himself. Their present company did not know how to react, hence they decided, unanimously and wordlessly, to give them their time. It only took a matter of minutes for Lord Phenex to console his consort. Considering her current mental state, he decided to bring the conversation back to the point himself.

"That boy… he just left a letter on his bed, saying that he had something important to do, that he wanted to become strong and find his own way in life outside of what his family wanted for him, he even took his evil pieces with him." Lord Phenex resumed, his sadness ever-present throughout his dialogue. "We spend endless amounts of resources looking for him. Both of my sons did everything possible under the sun to get him back, but it was to no avail." He choked on air for a second, holding back an uncharacteristic sob. "All our efforts did was make it even more clear that he had… died." He concluded, burying his head in his hands.

Sirzechs then realized his folly. Of course, adopted children could not be declared as official heirs for the 72 houses unless they were above the age of ten. He felt guilt himself, as he looked at Grayfia. As it stood, only her loyalty to her job as his maid and queen kept her from running over to the distraught Lady and consoling her. She too was a mother, and as such, could imagine how much it would hurt to learn that her child, his child, their dear little Millicas, was missing and presumably dead. He could finally fathom the pain Lord Phenex must have felt, to realize that his child was out there, in a place where his loving embrace couldn't protect him. He knew, because as a father, even the idea of it made him feel like trash.

But that couldn't be all, the Phenex would never request… no… plead for a meeting with the strongest of the Satans merely for the purpose off telling him something long-lost to the tides of history. There was more to it, there _had_ to be more to it. And as the Lord faced him again, the steely expression on his face told him that he had the right idea. This wasn't over, not by a long shot.

"—but now, finally after 10 years we have received info from a credible source stating that he is alive and well." Lady Phenex stated, her husband hadn't expected this, and his steely visage dropped yet again. Even through her tears, Lady Phenex's smile looked radiant. "My poor son, he is alive. And we, as parents, failed to find him, even with our resources. We gave up on him. We failed as parents. I'm sure you can understand my grief. I'm a failure of a mother."

Grayfia shook her head. "If he's alive and safe, it means you ultimately succeeded. You gave him the skills and experience needed to face the world, even when he was merely six years of age. Looks like he did exactly what his letter said he would." Grayfia smiled, an expression which multiplied her beauty tenfold and left Issei with a massive nosebleed. "If he made himself next-to-impossible to find, he's just been raised to be much better than people his age, you should feel proud."

Lady Phenex shook her head. "There's more to him than meets the eye, Grayfia. You'll see for yourself once you meet him."

Rias finally decided that this was the perfect time to raise the one question that was on her mind since before the conversation got sidetracked. "But Lord Phenex, what does this have to do with me, of all people?" Lord Phenex opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off for the third time within the same hour, this time, by Sirzechs, "Rias, do you remember the terms of the contract of marriage? You did try every single way possible to weasel your way out of it, after all. You're a smart girl, think it over once." Rias did just as her brother asked, and her eyes widened in surprise and shock. "The contract decrees that the firstborn girl of the Gremory house will be married to the youngest capable heir of the Phenex clan. And Riser is no longer the youngest. That means…" Rias wordlessly stared at Lord Phenex, who gave her a weak smile before confirming her point

"Yes, you are no longer bound by contract to marry Riser. Instead, Naruto is the one slated to marry you." He answered. "And, truth be told, considering how Naruto was, you'll have a much easier time convincing him to call off the marriage. Though I do hope you'll give him a chance before you make a decision. He was a surprisingly charming boy, after all."

Rias was stunned, her mouth was wide open. She didn't know whether to be happy or to be apprehensive. Because, in reality, nothing had really changed for her. Now she was being married off to some other guy. Someone she didn't even know. And while it was honestly impossibly for her to hate anyone as much as she hated Riser, there still existed a possibility, no matter how slim, that this 'Naruto' character could possibly be even worse than Riser himself. Though, Lord Phenex's words were to be believed, even the chance to delay her marriage a bit was a very appealing one. Best case scenario, she would be able to convince this boy to not go through with it. After all, the only ways to void the contract would be to either defeat the boy in a rating game or to mutually agree to break it. If push came to shove, she'd take him down in combat. But he had been in the human world for over ten years now. She had no idea how strong he could be. Unlike Riser, he was an unknown quantity. And she definitely did not like dealing with the unknown.

"So let me guess. You want us to get him back before someone else gets to him." Rias replied. Maybe, if she got him back with his family, she'd create enough of a friendly rapport to be able to talk him out of the marriage. It was definitely worth a try, and it was still a better alternative than fighting him.

"To put it simply, yes." replied Lord Phenex. Rias smirked. Maybe, this wouldn't be as bad as she expected it to be. This offered a mutual-gain situation that she could definitely use. What more, having a Phenex as a friend could be useful.

"So do you have any photographs of your son?" Grayfia asked, with her usual stiff demeanor.

"Yes, we do have one but its old, when he was six." Lady Phenex said as she removed a thin photograph from her purse and placed it in Grayfia's open palm.

Rias took the chance to look at the photo. It had both Lady and Lord Phenex, and between them sat a blonde kid with spiky hair and a radiant smile. She put that aside however, as she took the chance to commit his face to her memory. And she couldn't help but mentally comment on the fact that the boy was super cute as a kid. He looked friendly too, unlike how she remembered Riser as a teen. Hopefully, the adult form would be just as friendly as he appeared to be in the photo.

"Even though he is adopted, he looks like a Phenex." Rias pointed out. The effect it had on the Phenex duo was instantaneous. Proud smiles appeared on their faces, surprising Rias just a bit. It was uncommon for the great houses to adopt children, but it was downright rare for them to take pride in said adopted children. She couldn't help but share their happiness. Sirzechs, however, locked his gaze with lord Phenex, his face strictly businesslike.

"Do you know where he currently is?" He asked. And instantly, the duo's smiles dropped. A vague sense of dread filled up the room, and with the next words that came out of Lord Phenex's mouth, it was made clear why they needed a Maou's help in retrieving their wayward son.

"Well we believe that he's in Vatican City."

Sirzechs didn't respond for a few seconds. It was as if time itself stopped in the room. And then, he said the one thing that was on the mind of every single person present in the cramped room.

"You've _got_ to be shitting me!"

 **So leave me a review and tell me how did you guys like it. And just a head's up, I am looking for a beta of this story. So if anyone's up for it do send a PM.**

 **SamaelTheDevil...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter - 2**

"So, your son's hiding at the _Vatican_ ," Sirzechs asked with unnatural calmness as he stressed the name of the city to show his skepticism on the matter, "and you want us to infiltrate the city and extract him." He finished with a dry chuckle.

"Yes, Sirzechs." Lord Phenex replied, his face twisted in annoyance, "Just how many times are you going to ask the same damn thing? The answer's not—"

"—Until you realize exactly what you're asking from me," Sirzechs snapped, hitting the table in front of him with his open palm, "This isn't just some random city, Vatican's been a stronghold for the angels since ancient times. It's their fucking war table! Everybody knows that, and you want me to send some of my best, in to a hungry wolves' den just to get _your_ idiotic child back…. Do you realize the risk your son has put us in?" He asked. Sirzechs had never been this furious for quite a long time.

"So let me ask this again," Sirzechs said, leaning back into his cushy chair as he took a deep breath, "Are you sure about this? Because if you're not…." He trailed off, though none missed his grave undertone.

What Naruto Phenex had done was nothing short of scandalous, and was a slap to the face for every soldier of the God. If the Angels found out, nothing would stop them from enacting their righteous judgement. It would be just like the previous war. Everyone knew it, but none dared to voice it.

"Yes, we are sure Sirzechs! Please just bring back my son to me." Lady Phenex pleaded, with her hand resting on her breast. You didn't need to be a genius to see the desperation and anguish in the woman's eyes, and Sirzech's truly understood her, if it was his son who had done something so stupid he would be desperate too. It was every devil's worst nightmare.

"You know that if the angels figure out that we were responsible for breaking into their holy city, everything we have achieved over the centuries can become undone. All those peace talks, negotiations and the flimsy trust we have between the three factions…. Everything will go down the drain." Sirzechs said, in an impassive tone, "No one will ever trust us…"

Lord and Lady Phenex hanged their head down, refusing to meet Sirzechs eyes. They knew what they were asking from him was downright cruel and thoughtless. They wanted him to risk everything he had achieved over the years in his quest for peace, for a single boy he didn't even know…

Thankfully, Grayfia arrived with a large map in tow and promptly spread it in front of everyone, essentially preventing them from tearing each other's throat out. The Maou's bless her!

* * *

Rias and her peerage surrounded the entire area looking at the map with apprehension. Rias would be the first to admit that she was scared, even after an hour it was tough for her to believe that her new intended was insane enough to stay at the Vatican. The fucking Vatican! How did he even survive amongst all the prayers, angels and exorcists, she didn't know. She couldn't believe for a moment she thought that maybe Riser would have been a better choice, at the least he wasn't suicidal!

"The walls of Vatican are covered in anti-demonic wards," Sirzechs replied and pointed various structures in the map, "So, it excludes infiltration by land or by any underground means. So there is only one way to get inside the city… it's by air."

"That's crazy nii-san, the Vatican is the residence of the Bishop of Rome. If we go by the sky without a doubt we would be attacked by a legion of angels and if we try to land we would be surrounded by the best the exorcists have to offer…. It's a death trap." Rias replied dubiously, twisting one of her long red tresses between her fingers. It was a habit, she did whenever she was nervous wreck.

"Vatican City is a fortress which has employed best anti-devil and anti-fallen angel protections the world has ever seen, all the wards have been specifically carved by the Biblical God himself, but even after all these security measures it's not impenetrable." Sirzechs continued, his voice resolute, "It's true on a normal day I wouldn't even dare to think something so bold and potentially dangerous, but thankfully for us the church of the Vatican is going through a Papal Conclave. That gives us a small window of opportunity…"

"What is Papa Con…cave?" asked a confused Issei. All of this was way above his paygrade, he was nowhere near ready for an operation like this when a single light spear was more than enough to kill him.

"It's Papal Conclave," Rias replied chidingly at Issei with exasperation, "It's basically a meeting between the College of Cardinals, to elect the new Bishop of Rome, the apostolic successor of Saint Peter who we often call as the _Pope_. He's also the leader of all the exorcists. It's only conducted when either the previous pope dies or he resigns from his position."

"You should know all this Issei," Rias said almost accusingly, "I gave you all those books to read, so that you wouldn't be so clueless and ignorant of our world. Ignorance gets you killed especially in the supernatural world."

Issei blushed in embarrassment when he saw everyone was looking at him with amusement, "H-How does this help us?" He stuttered.

"Well during the conclave, angels are not allowed inside the holy-city by the decree of their own father, this should make things easier..." Sirzechs replied and he glared at the map in front of him, as if glaring at it would make this any easier.

"So, when will we be leaving for the assignment?" Rias asked with her hand resting on her hips and her nose upturned.

"You will not." Sirzechs replied in an offhanded manner.

"WHAT!?" Rias screamed. He was supposed to be her husband, it was her duty to get him back to safety. She was the one who was going to be most affected by Naruto's presence. She had every right to be on this mission.

"You will not argue me in this, and you will not raise your voice at me," Sirzechs replied, his tone heavy, and he immediately stood from his chair and glared at his sister just to hammer the point, "You have no idea what you are getting into…"

Rias stared at her brother as tears gathered in her eyes, her body shook and her knees became weak. She couldn't believe that she was just told off by her brother in such a harsh way. She couldn't remember the last time her brother had talked to her like that.

Rias sniffled and her lips wobbled before she turned around and ran away from the clubhouse as fast as her feet could carry her. She knew she was being childish, it was just a simple scolding but it hurt because it came from her brother and she couldn't bear to witness the sheer disappointment in his eyes.

If Rias looked back she would have noticed that her entire peerage was rushing behind her, to comfort her. Everyone from Akeno to Issei were right behind her, screaming her name out.

* * *

"Was that necessary?" Grayfia asked.

Sirzechs didn't deign to reply her, he didn't even spared a look at his wife irking her further instead he started to explain his plans further to bewildered Phenex's as Grayfia continued to frown.

"So, we will send only two members from my peerage into the stronghold, it will help them to maintain their cover and they would have a chance to escape if things don't go well." Sirzechs replied contemplatively.

"Who will you be sending?"

"Grayfia and my knight Souji Okita," Sirzechs declared boldly, folding his arms, "Both of them have incredible control of their demonic energy and can hide their presence from anyone."

"Just to be on the safe side, I asked Ajuka to lend me some of the demon suppression pills, it will make hiding from the exorcist much easier. The success of the mission depends on how quickly, and silently we can extract the target from the City of Angels."

"Grayfia, You need to hurry the Papal Conclave in commence in an hour. You need to get there before it starts, and remember generally the entire process lasts from a day to a week, but I want you out of there as quick as possible. The longer the mission, the higher are the chances of us being discovered."

Grayfia simply rolled her eyes at her husband, "You know this isn't the first time I have done something like this, I can take care of myself." Then her eyes trailed towards the Phenex's, "Just tell me the location of the base, and I will bring your son back for you."

"According to the info we received, his base is supposed to be… somewhere here." Lord Phenex nodded and pointed a few specific portions of the map.

"You have to be joking!" Grayfia replied with wide eyes and her face marred in a scowl, "Could your son make this anymore difficult!?" Her incredulity was mixed with sheer exasperation. This was probably the most frustrating mission she ever had the opportunity to do. She couldn't help but balk at Naruto Phenexe's actions.

"That's right below the Sistine Chapel," Sirzechs replied barely masking his own disbelief, "Right where the Papal Conclave is going to be conducted." He glared at the Phenex's and replied in a very low voice, "After the mission, if your son manages to come back in a piece he and I are going to have a _talk_ …"

Lord and Lady Phenex sighed in discontent, since they knew Sirzechs wasn't going to budge anymore. They were lucky enough that the Lucifer had even decided to help them instead of just leaving their son to the dogs.

* * *

 **Below Sistine Chapel**

Naruto Uzumaki, the veteran of fourth shinobi world war and the general awesome all around ninja, was sitting in a lotus position with his hands resting on his lap. If someone would have seen him right now they would have thought him dead because of the sheer stillness and lack of movement. He was that engrossed in his routine meditation and reminiscing of the past… These days he remembered his past quite often.

He didn't know how things went to hell so fast, Sasuke and he always had problems right from the day they knew each other but there was also a bond like no other. They were brothers who understood each other's pain and the tribulations, both had lost their families at a young age by the machinations of selfish people. They knew how it felt to be truly alone in this world and to have no one care for you... They knew hell.

* * *

"Sasuke!"

"Naruto!"

They charged at each other with their respective techniques, one with the infamous **Chidori** while the other used the equally infamous **Rasengan** of the Yondaime Hokage. It was ironic to Naruto because since their last battle at the valley they had all grown so much in power but in the end, it all boiled down to two of their oldest techniques. The techniques which they have used at least countless amount of times.

All their destructive jutsus only managed to tire each other out and deliver an already punished land with more death and destruction. It was tragic and comical at the same time.

Their charges fists met in an explosion of blinding light, releasing huge aftershocks destroying the already damaged statues of Hashirama and Madara further. The aftershocks released by the attacks were strong enough to blow both of them away as they skidded through the rubble like a human ping-pong before unconsciousness claimed them.

Naruto woke up with a start and he immediately moaned, his entire being was aching from head to toe. He felt like a massive bruise all over and was sure that he had broken at least half of his bones in his body. Just to make it all worse, he of all person was suffering through heavy chakra exhaustion. Naruto Uzumaki, the 'Chakra Monster' didn't even have a drop to spare.

He turned his head towards the other side and gasped in horror. Sasuke was dying, there was no doubt about it. His entire right hand was blown to smithereens, and he was sure that his friend was suffering from internal bleeding too since he was leaking blood like a faucet. Naruto felt sick to his stomach, he just wanted to hurl. How could he do this to this someone he called his best friend!

Lacking any strength in his limbs, he crawled towards his dying friend in despair and anguish. He didn't want to believe what was happening right now… Things were not supposed to end this way. He was supposed to be better than other avatars of Indra's and Asura's before him, but in the end he was no different.

"Just hold on Sasuke," Naruto wheezed as he held Sasuke in his lap, "Sakura will arrive any minute and she can help you. We will get through this… as a team."

He cursed himself for not having a single drop of Yang chakra in his body, he could have prevented all this by simply healing him.

Naruto's face twisted in pained grimace when Sasuke started to chuckle even though he was in lot of pain, "Come on Naruto! You and I both know, I am a dead—man." Sasuke finally choked out, stifling his amusement.

"It wasn't supposed to end this way…not like this. You and I both deserved better"

"It's fine, I have no regrets Naruto," Sasuke said, "I need you to know that this wasn't your fault, Naruto. This is simply where my choices led me, and the decision were my own from the very beginning. I had this coming…" He finished, violently coughing blood on Naruto's torn jacket.

"Stop talking Sasuke," Naruto pleaded, tearing up, "You're only aggravating your wounds."

"For once in your life! Listen to me.." Sasuke growled, as he spat another glob of blood stopping Naruto to his tracks.

"You were always like my brother, moving ahead of me, guiding me, helping me and never breaking our special connection, our bond with each other even after all I had done. You never gave up on me…. All this time I envied your strength, your drive to do anything for people you hold precious and even today was no different. You had a strength which simply surpassed mine."

There seemed to be no end to this nightmare for Naruto. His eyes went crimson with tears and sheer abject pain. He was also feeling a tad bit light headed, but wasn't sure whether it was from exhaustion or from his desire to just slip into the realm of unconsciousness to escape everything.

"You protected me till the end. It's about time that I return the favor. From now on, I will be the one to guide you, to protect you. After all I am the older brother."

Naruto stiffened at Sasuke's admission, this was the first time he had ever called him a brother. This was all so twisted, he himself always believed Sasuke to be his sibling, but never thought that there would come a day when he would also feel the same. For one ethereal moment, Naruto's heart filled with happiness before he was taken in by the darkness.

"From now onwards…" Sasuke slowly lifted his left hand and poked on Naruto's forehead lightly, "You are my living legacy."

Naruto watched with horror as Sasuke's body went limp on his very arms, he was able to feel his friend's body getting colder every second.

Sasuke had passed away, killed by his own friend. For few minutes, he just stared into nothingness with his eyes wide.

The shock was so great for Naruto, that he never noticed the Yin mark of the sage appearing on his left arm, nor did he notice his blue eyes changing in to the infamous blood-red of the Uchiha's. All he could do was scream to the heavens until his throat went dry as he finally surrendered himself to the realm of Morpheus.

This was the last time, Naruto was ever seen in the Elemental Nations. All that was left in this war torn planet, were his legends and bedtime stories which were read to kids and ninjas alike.

* * *

Naruto sighed in discomfort as he slowly opened his eyes from momentary slumber, he hated to waste his time on the past but somehow his mind always wandered to his final battle with Sasuke. The entire thing have been etched to his mind, on what he had done. Just to make matters worse, he couldn't even apologize for his actions to his other pink-haired teammate.

That was the greatest source of his pain, for all his amazing prowess in battle and the raw power he possessed, he was trapped here in this bizarre new planet where almost all mythical and godly creatures were alive and real. And it also didn't help, but something fundamental had changed in him from his mind to his physical body. He was different….. he wasn't the same naïve Naruto anymore. Maybe it was because he no longer had that luxury.

He was quickly broken out of his musings when he sensed a decidedly different aura….. a demonic aura just outside the Holy City. It was interesting to say the least, he could feel that whoever these devils were they were suppressing it forcefully maybe by simple natural talent or by some artificial means. Devils certainly had the technology to achieve this.

This meant they were stronger than they portrayed themselves as.

' _I need to deal with them before they do something stupid.'_ Naruto thought with a frown as he prepared himself for the inevitable clash.

* * *

Two hooded figures slowly walked through the bustle of Italy, their steps barely making any noise. One of the individual was curvy and voluptuous, immediately marking her as a woman while the other was the exact opposite, with tall stature and broad shoulders. And he was definitely a man since he was lacking certain important _assets_ ….

"So, Grayfia-nee you want to tell me what's so special about this kid?" Okita asked. It sufficed to say he was surprised when Grayfia of all people barged into his bedroom, and ordered him to get ready immediately, barely sharing any of the pertinent details of the mission.

It was only on the way, was he briefed, and by Maous he wished that Grayfia was joking about the entire thing. Seriously, who was crazy enough to stay at the Vatican? Apparently this Naruto Phenex was!

"Well, there isn't anything particularly special about him, other than him being a member of the Phenex Household…" Grayfia replied though Okita managed to catch the uncertainty in her tone. After working together for so many centuries, there wasn't a way he would miss telling signs from the normally stoic woman.

"So, you think the entire thing shall pass without a single predicament?"

"I don't know," Grayfia hissed as her eyes narrowed into daggers, making Okita flinch in reflex. Grayfia had a habit of turning people into popsicles who managed to earn her ire, he didn't want to be another victim. "I am so close to Vatican, and yet I am not able to sense any kind of demonic energy here other than our own. So this brings us to two conclusions, first either he is so good at controlling his energy that he doesn't leak a single drop of it which if true would put him in a place which is beyond prodigious or he's already—"

"Dead" Okita finished for her.

"Exactly." Grayfia said, her jaw clenched. She didn't know what scenario was worse, from what she had managed to piece from Naruto's actions until now, she could say one thing without doubt. The boy.. the man whatever was bold and had guts beyond the devils of his age. Since, she knew fully grown devils who wouldn't dare to do half the thing this 'Naruto Phenex' had done. She had to admit that she was interested in meeting the boy sooner rather than later.

* * *

Grayfia was broken from her thoughts when a scrawny brown haired man from an alley stumbled in front of them and managed to fall onto Souji in a yelp, being the knight Okita was, he gave a genial smile towards the old man, barely making a fuss, and directed a hand towards him for help. Only for the old man to move swiftly and place a paper tag right on top of Okita's head.

He didn't even have time to be surprised before he was teleported away in a yellow flash to God knows where.

Grayfia tried to move right in front of the man fearing the worst only to be caught from behind in a shoulder lock, as black seal markings appeared all over her body. She tried to use her demonic energy but only an absolute sense of panic greeted her when she realized that for some reason she was totally cut off from her vast power.

' _How did this man managed to do this!?'_

She refused to show her trepidation as the brown-haired man stalked towards her in a steady gait and removed the hood of her robe, revealing her face. She growled when an amused smile crossed over the man's face.

"Well would you look at that," he said, his face twisted in bemusement, "If it isn't the infamous 'Strongest Queen'"

"Who are you?" Grayfia hissed. She didn't recognized this man, there were only few people in this world who could incapacitate her like that, and she knew the identity of all of them. And to her irritation, somehow this man had also managed to conceal himself from her acute senses.

"Hey! I am the one asking questions here." the man replied, almost petulantly "So tell me what a woman like you is doing in a place like this?"

Grayfia's brows furrowed in displeasure at his patronizing tone. She clenched her fists, if only she could use her magic... Then she would have made sure that this man was in a world of hurt, the likes none had ever experienced.

"You do know that your mere presence here can be considered as an act of war," he continued, playing with his knife, "You are trespassing into the lands of his holiness."

"Who. Are. You?" she asked again, gritting her teeth, as she ignored the man's question, "Because you are definitely not an exorcist! Or an angel for that matter." She added as an afterthought.

"What makes you say that?" the man asked, his tone indulgent.

Grayfia scoffed, seriously just who did the man think he was talking to, "Exorcists always attack in a group not singlehandedly, and I don't know any exorcist who uses _clones_ …"

Grayfia relished at his surprised look, even though she was the one trapped in a shoulder lock, she just simply couldn't let this shot go away. And it was absolutely worth it, to watch the man's eyes widen as he clenched his jaw. In just a single moment, she managed to wipe the arrogant smile from the man's face.

However, she wasn't prepared when the man started chuckling…. And again an amused smile lit up on his face, but for some reason this time it seemed genuine….

"You are just as relentless as the stories describe you," the man replied, mirth dancing in his eyes, "Here you are all tied up and no way to escape and yet you refuse to back down…. Instead you managed to figure out one of my secrets. You must be a really good sensor…"

Grayfia was taken aback by the genuine fondness dripping from the man's tone, and his smile. It might have been the most appealing smile she had ever seen on any person. Period. She was sure that a smile like that could cover a multitude of sins. She felt her cheeks burning… This—this infuriating man had no right to look at her like that. If only she could use the full limit of her powers then she would show him… but it was as if the Maou's were mocking her, she could never use her strong devil powers so near to the Vatican. She wasn't reckless enough..

"My name is Naruto… Naruto Phenex."

Now that was a fantastic way to get her absolute attention. Her eyes bored into the man's as he started to slowly change right in front of her. Brown hair gave way to sun-kissed blonde hair, as his facial features changed right in front of her.

The figure standing was now was a young man of about seventeen years, with eyes as blue as the ocean, high cheek bones and tanned skin. His swimmer like taut body was complimented by a black Italian-cut Armani suit with a beige colored tie. Grayfia's eyes roamed his entire figure and she let out a sigh of discontent, he looked every bit a gentlemen, now only if he released her from his clone's hold then he would be perfect.

"I have answered one of your question so how about you answer one of mine, Ms. Lucifuge?" Naruto asked his eyes dancing in mischief, he hadn't missed the way her eyes had roamed all over him.

Grayfia simply nodded herself out of her stupor and replied, "I am actually here on the behalf of your parents. They want you back at home."

She had hoped to see at least some kind of over the top reaction from him instead all she got was a sense of befuddlement and confusion from the Phenex.

"I guess we can arrange that, but I clearly mentioned in my letter that I won't be returning for at least two more years." Naruto mentioned offhandedly, caressing his tie.

Grayfia's eyes gained an edge, she couldn't believe this man, he was so aloof about the whole thing. His parents must have been so worried for him but it seemed like he didn't care one bit. She wanted to give him a scolding but it just wasn't the time.

"Do you mind releasing me?"

"Of course." Naruto replied with a grin and clicked his fingers. The clone behind her burst into white smoke freeing her.

 _Interesting,_ Grayfia thought inquisitively. She had never seen clones like that, and she had seen a lot over the course of her lifetime.

"I apologize that I am unable to remove the seal right now but it will vanish away in about fifteen minutes anyways. It was never meant to hold a devil of your caliber for long periods." Naruto replied as he leaned towards her and tore her hood away, making her yelp at the unexpected action.

"When you are undercover, you should avoid wearing hoods," Naruto replied with a hint of exasperation, "It actually draws more attention from people… At the least you are wearing an actual dress this time instead of that ridiculous maid outfit, you are famous for."

Grayfia blushed both in embarrassment and anger, she didn't like to be told what to do especially by someone who was so many years younger than her, and by someone who had way less experience in covert missions. For a maid, who are supposed to take orders she sure acted contradictorily to their behavior.

Naruto's eyes roamed her figure, and to say he was impressed would be an understatement. This woman knew how to clean up well, especially when she wasn't obsessing over her maid outfit.

Grayfia had discarded her usual getup for a black blazer with white undershirt, and a tight black skirt which went down to her knees leaving the rest of her tantalizing legs open for everyone to see. And just to complete the look of an office lady, she was wearing a black ankle-strap high heels and had tied her silver-hair in a bun.

She didn't look scandalous or outrageously beautiful, but somehow that made her all the more appealing in Naruto's eyes.

After a once over, his eyes finally reached Grayfia's eyes only to see her smirking at him, he couldn't help but return the gesture. Clearly, she had noticed his appreciation of her just a few moments earlier and couldn't help but hold it over him. _Cheeky woman…_

"So, if you are done ogling me," Grayfia said with a sly smirk, "Maybe we can finally get you out of here? It's hardly a respectable place to be, especially for us devils."

"No."

Grayfia looked taken aback by the single worded answer. No!? Was he really planning on staying here longer? Even in such short a time she could already feel the hazardousness of the holy place. It wasn't anything debilitating, but there was this constant sense of doom pervading the entire place. It made the hair on her skin stand up, and to think this young man had been here for at least a few months was staggering, and a difficult pill to swallow.

"At the least not until we've had a cup of coffee." Naruto replied with a grin.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Grayfia literally screamed not even bothering to hide her uncharacteristic scowl, "The longer we stay here, the higher are our chances of getting captured."

"Yeah, and you screaming your lungs out totally helps us." Naruto added sarcastically.

Grayfia hissed with her teeth barred, but she quickly calmed herself back to her impassive expression. Now that she think about it, it was a great opportunity to learn more about the Phenex because there was so much to this man than he portrayed. It could be seen from his very posture, the confidence which he demonstrated was unlike she had seen from a devil so young. It wasn't arrogant like his older brothers but there was an undercurrent it which demanded attention.

"So what do you think?" asked Naruto

After a moment of contemplation, Grayfia spoke to the now almost bored looking Naruto, "I still think that we should make haste…"

Naruto didn't miss the hesitation in her tone, and he immediately latched on to it.

His arms snaked towards her waist to hold her in a possessive grip as he leaned towards her to whisper in her ear, "I insist…" Only for Grayfia to shiver at the suggestive tone and to balk at the audacity of the said action. When was the last time a man had the balls to touch her like that? Knowing that she was the wife of Lucifer.

They disappeared in a yellow flash from the alley, leaving it abandoned, and eerily quiet.

Grayfia didn't even realize that she had totally forgotten about Souji Okita during her brief talk with Phenex.

 **So, there you have it guys... I had to make some changes from the original because it didn't seem logical for them to fight so early. In the next chapter both Grayfia and Naruto are going to have a chat. I will try to make it as engaging as possible for you guys because I know everyone want to see Naruto Phenex in action rather than to just see him talk but I want to take my time to reach there.**

 **Again, I am still looking a beta for this story so if anyone's interested do send me a PM. I could really use one...**

 **And don't forget to review. And do checkout my new RWBY fanfic and like usual share your thoughts on it, no matter how harsh they may be. :D**

 **SamaelTheDevil is out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, to everyone. We are finally at the third installment of Naruto Phenex, and already I have caused quite a bit of backlash when I showed a momentary bit of attraction between Grayfia and Naruto. So, to all my readers I will be clearing some of the things up. First, it was just attraction, its quite common between two young-looking and attractive people. No matter how much we would like to kid ourselves even married people feel attraction to men/women outside off their spouses. Secondly, just because there is attraction doesn't mean Grayfia is going to screw Naruto. Thirdly, they are devils their morality is kind of skewed and even my main character has gone through different things to be same as canon Naruto, it was done purposefully to rid any of you out of the notion that Naruto was the same. It's like reimagining a character. Finally, I am not saying the paring will not happen neither am I saying it will happen. In the end, its just a plot device which I will use in any way I see fit. That's my right as an author.**

 **By the way a big thanks to _TriCyberSleuth_ for beta'ing this chapter. There might still be mistakes here and there, if you inform me I will correct it right away. He helped quite a bit with plot, spellings and wherever he could. **

**Chapter - 3**

Sirzech's and the Phenex's sight were stuck to the LED Television of the Research Club, with rapt attention. None dared to move from their seat since the operation had begun, the nervousness in the room was so palpable that it could've been cut with a knife. It was further compounded by the fact that no one actually knew what was happening at the Vatican since there was total radio silence. They simply couldn't risk the slight chance of their communication getting hijacked by the Angels or some other unknown entity. Just a single wrong move, and their mission could collapse like a house of cards.

 _As you see here, the smoke coming from the Sistine Chapel's chimney is still black which means that the College of Cardinals have still not arrived to a decision. It has only been few hours since the election process has begun, this entire undertaking has been known to last from a day to a week, though there have been instances where it had taken close to three years to select the Bishop of Rome. Especially during the start of the millennia…_

 _As of this moment, some of the greatest followers of Catholicism have been locked behind a sealed-shut door undergoing a grueling process, to elect a Vicar of Christ from amongst them. The moment the smoke coming from the chimney turns white, it would mean that world finally has its 267_ _th_ _Pope._

 _We in CNN will be bringing you the latest updates on one of the biggest moment, for the religion with the largest followers…_

 _This is Vicky Vale, Reporting live from Vatican._

 _Just doing God's work!_

"She still has time... Maybe there's nothing to worry about." Lord Phenex said calmly, his eyes never leaving the blonde reporter.

Sirzechs would have believed the man if his frown didn't gave away his palpable tinge of uneasiness.

"Maybe you're right" Sirzechs replied, as he leaned back into his chair and massaged his forehead. To tell the truth even after repeated assurances from the two, he was worried. In fact, he was catatonic. It was only because of his experience in such high tension situations that he was able to act relatively sane. It had been hours since Grayfia left for this Maou forsaken mission! Frankly, she should have already gotten the boy back, but there was no news on either his peerage members or the Phenex.

 _Did something happen!? Are they safe!? Were they attacked!?_

His thoughts were violently cut off with a loud bang. Sirzechs immediately turned towards the door, only to watch it break out of its hinges in a rough motion.

His blood went cold when he saw his knight charge to the middle of the room, with his back bent, and taking in deep breaths. His body was littered with cuts, blood trickling from them like drops of rain.

"Where's Grayfia?" Sirzechs asked, his lips curled in undescribed pain and fear. It was like he was physically hit by Durandal. He had never felt this afraid, not even when he had rebelled against the Old-Satan faction.

* * *

Grayfia's eyes roamed around with frightening accuracy as she entered the café, taking in every detail from expensive polished teak furniture to the impressive and detailed silverware the staff were parading around. Her silver eyes managed to locate every exit points in mere seconds, like a seasoned soldier she was.

After a few minutes of appraisal, she gave a light hum in agreement. The place was beautiful and no doubt expensive. It was the kind of site that would've been frequented by the high-class devils if it wasn't located so close to the Holy City. She was glad that the young man at least had the sense of taking her to a café which was considerably far from the Holy City.

They were quickly ushered in by a blushing waitress, who was constantly giving discrete glances towards her blonde companion. She would have normally been annoyed by the lack of professionalism, but she understood the young lady's predicament. It was almost impossible to not be attracted to Naruto Phenex, at first glance. He constantly gave a feeling of being enveloped in a mysterious aura, and he walked with a self-assurance which was rarely seen in a man in his age, even less so in teenagers. He always managed to suck you into his pace, even she, a woman who had years of experience with the opposite sex was unable to resist his charm for a moment… leading her to have a cup of coffee with a man who was scandalously younger than her. So a young naïve woman like her stood no chance….

Grayfia took her seat demurely with unnatural grace, only to watch Naruto Phenex as he started to slowly unbutton his Armani Blazer, his calloused fingers roamed around his well-sculpted torso in an almost seductive manner. His muscles flexed subtly as he slowly loosened his tie to reveal some of his chest, he was irresistible. To make it worse, Grayfia knew for a fact that he wasn't even trying to seduce anyone… It was such a normal action on his part, but it was done with an animalistic grace that it demanded everyone's attention.

Grayfia took a deep breath refusing to show any reaction but the waitress beside her had no such manners or compulsions. She heard the young woman gave out a shuddered gasp, as her already red cheek turned crimson like a ripe tomato, ready to be plucked. Grayfia watched with some amusement in the way the brown-haired waitress gulped and snatched away the blazer from the Phenex, holding the damn cloth almost reverently.

The waitress cleared her throat with a cough and painfully tore her eyes away from the man, she stuttered, "W-What would you like to order?"

Naruto smiled as he took a seat, "An ivory coffee for me, make sure that the beans are hand-ground, and Italian roasted. Add only two spoons of skimmed milk in it with only a teaspoon of sugar, and ditch the cream please."

 _That's very specific,_ thought Grayfia as she directed a fleeting glance towards the stunned waiter, clearly she wasn't used to receiving such over the top orders, "I will have the same with a slice of brownie on the side."

That seemed to get the girl out of her stupor, before she gave a wide smile and sauntered away with a sway on her hips. The action was clearly meant to entice the blonde Phenex, but to Grayfia's amusement, it seemed that the boy hadn't even noticed.

"So, why's the Lucifer so interested in me?" Naruto asked curiously with a grin.

"Why do you think he's interested in you in the first place?"

"Because why in hell would he send his own wife and knight to the most dangerous place for a devil on earth, if he didn't have some interest in the target." Naruto scoffed and rested his chin on his hands, "He must really desire something from me or do you want me to believe that he did all this out of the love for my parents."

Grayfia grimaced visibly at the mocking tone of the younger Phenex, "He owes a lot to the Phenex family. They were one of his greatest supporters in the last war and had supported his bid as the new Lucifer a few centuries ago. Is it really that surprising to you that he would do this for your family?"

She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when the man in front of him started to chuckle lightly in amusement, "Oh! You are really good, I would have believed that for a moment that is if I didn't hear your heartbeat skyrocket…" Naruto continued as his grin turned downright predatory, "So do you want to have another go at it? Maybe you should try telling the truth this time, I have heard that it works wonders. And do remember a special place in hell is reserved for those who lie." He added cheekily.

Grayfia snorted in amusement, she wasn't sure whether the last statement was a threat or a joke but the more she conversed with him the more she realized that despite his carefree persona and his exceedingly young age, this man was dangerously perceptive, and until now every action of his just went on to simply prove her hypothesis.

And the most ridiculous thing was until now he had not even given her a single glimpse of his demonic power, and yet here she was, one of the strongest devil visibly intimidated by this rookie. There was just something about Naruto Phenex…

"Are you aware of the existence of a marriage contract between the Gremorys and the Phenexes?" Grayfia finally asked cautiously, wondering when the coffee was going to be served. It had already been like ten minutes or was it two, she didn't know. She just simply wanted to get out of this situation as fast as possible.

"No, Not really," Naruto replied, rolling his eyes, "If you haven't noticed I was kind of out of the loop for the past few years but I can guess. I am ready to bet that it goes somewhere along the line of, the Gremory heiress marrying one of my older brothers so that she can sire some _pureblooded devils._ " _Cause' that's just what our world needs more incest ridden stupidity from the devils,_ Naruto thought in an offhanded manner.

Grayfia face lit up with an actual smile at the sarcasm dripping from Naruto's tone, "You don't think much about the pureblooded devils, do you Naruto-san?"

"Well most of them tend to be hardheaded, naive or just plain lazy, who would rather ride on the coattails of their parents than do something actually productive for a change. Frankly, God didn't have to attack us with his angels to destroy us, he should have just waited for our own children to do it for him while he sipped some tea from his cushy throne in the clouds. He wouldn't even have had to waste any of his resources!"

Grayfia was visibly taken aback from the pure disdain and passion in that single entire statement. It was a very brutal and honest assessment about the entire new generation of devils, and it actually gave her some insight of this man's character, "Is that why you decided to leave your parents?"

Naruto just raised an eyebrow and then he let out a heavy sigh and replied in a clipped tone, "It's one of the many."

"You were only six…" Grayfia asked, with a gob smacked expression.

"And yet I was old enough to understand that to truly become strong, I couldn't allow myself to be sheltered like my peers, because unlike them I actually came from the streets of Lilith (Capital of Underworld), from the slums if you will, and I have seen the how the world is truly like down there… It truly deserves to be called _hell_."

Grayfia winced as he trailed off in a haunted tone, she had an inkling of an idea of how life was for the kids starving on the streets of Lilith. It was an absolute hellhole. She wouldn't wish it on anyone… and at the same time she couldn't help but admire the person sitting in front of her, this was a man who refused to live a life of luxury so that he could learn the true nature of their world which in turn made him more knowledgeable than his peers. She wasn't so sure about his physical or spiritual strength but just by the way he carried himself she was ready to bet that the man was not all talk. But deep down she also felt sadness, all this time living and doing things alone had made this young devil colder and cynical towards their world. It normally wouldn't have alarmed her, but somehow Grayfia had a feeling that Naruto was more powerful then he portrayed himself as.

For few minutes Grayfia appraised the person in front of her trying to discern more about him only to fail spectacularly. She didn't know how to proceed with their little conversation anymore, it had started out light, only for it to take such a heavy turn. She glanced away from the piercing ocean blue eyes, which were still looking at her with such mischief.

She sighed in relief when the waitress finally arrived with their coffee towed in a large silver tray, the brown-haired girl's cute button nose visibly deflated when Naruto Phenex didn't even deign to spare her a glance despite her valiant efforts to attract his attention. If it was anyone else other than Grayfia, she would've considered the action extremely rude but she was used to it. Her husband was the Lucifer, she was used to various woman trying to steal her husband's _attention_. Even though their law clearly decreed against the practice of a Satan having a harem…

"Before all this, we were talking about the contract," Naruto finally asked the dreaded the question after the waitress left with a slouch, "You were going to tell me something about it, before we got derailed by other matters."

Grayfia took a long sip from her cup and exhaled, "You're right, Rias was supposed to marry one of your older brother however there has been some changes, after your existence was revealed….."

Naruto frowned into his cup, he didn't like where this was going.

"The contract clearly stipulated that the heiress of the Gremory family was to marry the _youngest son_ of the Phenex," Grayfia replied in an impassive tone, "and until now Riser was the youngest but after you were inducted into the family the circumstances have duly changed."

 _Fuck!_ Naruto thought incredulously, his grip on the cup visibly tightened, he would have thrown a tantrum but over the years he had learned to calm himself, thanks to regularly practicing his craft of senjutsu. But even then this came out of nowhere, he wasn't prepared of anything of this sort. He was only sixteen for god's sake as far as rest of the world knew. He was nowhere near prepared for something like this. Marriage was one big responsibility, if he tied the knot then it would mean he would have to take care of the woman along with her entire peerage.

 _I can't get married, not when she would become nothing more than a target for someone like_ _ **him**_ _…_ Naruto thought darkly, as his bangs shadowed his eyes. He hated that man with a passion like no other.

"I see…" Naruto finally replied, his voice devoid of any emotion whatsoever, "That explains why he would use someone like you to extract me. He must be very desperate, especially if there's some truth to the rumors about my brother."

"You mean about him being a chronic womanizer." Grayfia snipped blithely. Naruto didn't miss the edge in her cheerful tone neither did the rest of the patrons. She was practically radiating murder from her every pore simultaneously making everyone near her unable to breath.

"That can be said about any male devil, in fact most of them use the peerage system just to have a subservient harem of their own." Naruto shook his head as he took another sip, "As far as I think the only reason for Ms. Rias Gremory to even consider annulling the contract is either because of severe dislike to Riser's character in general or maybe she just doesn't want to be tied down."

"That would be very accurate description of the entire situation." Grayfia replied as she finished her cup and placed it on the saucer with a slight clang and directed a pointed glare towards the Phenex, "So, what are you going to do about your impromptu engagement?" She asked.

"At this moment nothing," Naruto replied truthfully, "I have simply no idea of the circumstances which has brought me to this predicament. It would be foolish to make a decision based on understated facts."

"Now since all that heavy talk's out of the way," Naruto continued with a grin as his eye lit up in sparkles, "You are now allowed to ask any question you want from me."

"And you would answer all of them?" Grayfia asked, skepticism apparent in her tone.

"I only said you could ask them," Naruto replied cheekily, "I never said I would answer any of them."

"That's very funny," Grayfia replied with a flat stare, her tone devoid of any humor.

If anything Naruto grinned harder, "So you want to ask anything from me?"

"Since you insist so much, I would like to know what you were doing at the Vatican in the first place." Grayfia asked, her tone frigid.

"Why must you always tread on such dangerous path?" Naruto asked in a mock stage-whisper making Grayfia frown and glare daggers at him. A normal would have been scared to death but Grayfia's glare only managed to amuse him further which in turn only managed to earn more of her ire. It was a one vicious cycle.

"If you must know, I was taking in the sights, renewing my faith in god and well, confessing my sins in general."

"…"

"A little religion is not going to kill you…. You know?" Naruto replied his grin stretching from ear-to-ear, "You might not believe this but I think I really made a bond with the guy upstairs, after our little talk he was all like, 'Son, I forgive you go live your life. You deserve it.' Guess I made quite the impression on him… I think I might even go to heaven, if something untoward happens to me."

Grayfia's jaw clenched momentarily before it morphed in to a nasty scowl. Maybe antagonizing her was not a good idea, Naruto thought with a sweat drop and hedged, "I was here to facilitate some of my plans." That might have been the vaguest answer one could have ever given to anyone. Naruto mentally cringed.

"Oh, so there is a _plan_!" Grayfia replied scathingly.

"I can detect an undertone of sarcasm in your voice. You don't trust my schemes, do you?" asked Naruto as he poured some more coffee into her cup.

"I think for a surprisingly smart man, your actions are moronic to the extreme, and risk the fragile peace we have cultivated with the other factions. What else can you surmise, Mr. Phenex?" Grayfia replied with an arctic smile.

Naruto leaned back into his chair and smirked not bothered by her comments in the slightest, "About you Ms. Lucifuge? Quite a bit, I am afraid."

Grayfia scoffed, "Why don't you enlighten me then?"

"Well your beauty is a problem! You worry that you won't be taken seriously." Naruto replied as his ocean blue eyes stared into her silver ones.

"Which one can say about any attractive women with half a brain?" Grayfia replied imperiously.

"True, but this one overcompensates with more muscular clothing, even during an undercover mission she simply discard's her maid getup for a business woman's. She acts more aggressive than her colleagues which ironically gives her… somewhat of a prickly demeanor making it less likely for her to be accepted or promoted by her male superiors who mistake her insecurities for arrogance."

Naruto took a deep breath as his eyes roamed her voluptuous figure before it settled on her eyes, all the while Grayfia continued to smile slyly, "You didn't have much of a childhood, did you Ms. Lucifuge?"

If Grayfia was disgruntled by his deduction or his cocky behavior she didn't show it on her face instead she gave him lop-sided smirk and replied, "Well alright! From the cut of your suit it shows that despite lacking resources, you somehow managed to educate yourself from a premier institute maybe from Oxford or Harvard or whatever." Her smirk turned into a scoff, "You naturally think people dress like that, but you wear it with such disdain. Clearly, the only reason you ever managed to get in there was because of Phenex's charity hence the chip on your shoulder and my guess your peers never let you forget it."

Grayfia's eyes trekked towards the sleeves of his shirt and she saw a silver watch peeking through it, "Rolex?" she questioned.

"Omega, Actually?"

"Beautiful." Grayfia intoned before she gave a sly smile and continued, "As I have only met you, I wouldn't go as far as to call you a _cold hearted bastard_ …"

"Of course not." Naruto snapped back with a smirk of his own.

"But it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine that you think of most women as disposable pleasure bags rather than meaningful pursuits. So, as charming as you are Mr. Phenex, I will be keeping my eye on you and off your perfectly formed ass." Grayfia finished with a smirk. Her eyes were chips of ice.

"You noticed?" Naruto asked slyly as he waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"Even we maids have our imagination." Grayfia replied with throaty chuckle, "How was your coffee, Mr. Phenex?"

"Bitter, one sympathizes."

* * *

Sirzechs paced around the ORC with long strides, ignoring everything around him. His teeth grinded and he was sweating like a pig. He had never been this worried before. Someone had managed to separate Okita from Grayfia and whoever he was, he was good. He used a single lapse of judgment from his peerage to his benefit, essentially crippling their mission in one single blow.

Somehow the man had managed to teleport Souji of all people to a forest filled to the brim with dangerous monsters ranging from seductive nymphs to dangerous man-eaters. He would have applauded if he wasn't racked with concern. He knew that Grayfia was strong beyond measure especially when compared to average foot-soldiers of any faction but even someone like her could be taken down given the opponents had sufficient numbers on their side. The threat to her life became even higher when she was already weakened by just being near the Vatican. It was the worst case scenario before things came to blow that is.

 _It shouldn't be taking this long for Grayfia to retrieve a sixteen year old boy or to dispatch a pesky exorcist or angel for that matter! Or am I wrong!? Was it too much for her? Is she dea—_ Sirzechs bit the inside of his cheek almost drawing blood, he didn't dare to finish his thought instead he looked towards the Phenex's and immediately winced. Both the Phenex's were fidgeting, one had a frown while the Lady Phenex was sporting a downright anguished expression on her face. Her hair were frayed and what little make up she wore had already washed away by her tears. She wasn't looking a single bit the nobility she was supposed to be.

Sirzechs took a deep breath and choked down his apprehension brutally, he would have prayed for their safe return if he wasn't a devil but he had simply other things to take care off. Sometimes he hated being the Lucifer. Years as one of the Maou had allowed him the unique ability to compartmentalize his work, which was the only reason he still managed to do this high-tension and frankly stressful job. He still wondered whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Lord Phenex," Sirzechs asked breaking the couple from their melancholy, "I have been thinking for quite some time now and there are things which just doesn't seem to make sense. What's so special about this boy? Why would you ever adopt him?"

Lord Phenex stiffened at first, for a moment Sirzechs thought that he would deny him the answers or might even get violent instead he gave a heavy sigh and his eyes glazed over as if he was lost into his memories. Considering the frown marred in the old devil's face, Sirzechs was sure that whatever the man was thinking wasn't a happy moment.

"We found him years ago," Lord Phenex spoke with gravelly voice, "He was such a small little thing Sirzechs, shorter than boys his age barely three years old and was nothing more than skin and bones. He was all alone in the slums of Lilith. Normal kids would be scared, crying and begging for their mothers but he was different…"

Lord Phenex trailed off, as his eyes grew haunted, "He knew how to fight, how to survive in a cruel cold world. If someone pushed him he knew how to push back harder."

"We were walking through the streets of Lilith as usual doing our business, when this little kid somehow managed to steal my purse," Lady Phenex replied with a nostalgic but wry smile, "We chased after him but the little midget was simply so agile, we must have chased him for hours but somehow he managed to escape our sight. My Lord Husband insisted on giving up however I refused to let a brat get the best of me."

Sirzechs leaned towards the Phenex, his arms folded and his face twisted in rapt attention. He was hooked. His want to know more about Naruto Phenex was palpable by the very atmosphere. He might be a stupid boy but he was still a devil who had the balls to do the unthinkable, those were the kind of people you always had an eye out for.

"After hours of toil we eventually found him, all bloodied and sweaty," Lady Phenex let out a sob as she clenched the hem of her dress, "Fighting boys twice his size with his fists to protect an innocent girl so that she would not be bullied by them. They would beat him until his little legs gave in but he would get just back up for more. His entire body would lit up in flames to heal him so that he could keep on fighting. It was the strongest and the most innocent thing we had ever seen, we couldn't help but look at him at think of him as a _Phenex_. The courage, the loyalty, and the will which he demonstrated were staggering…"

Sirzechs eyes widened in disbelief, this boy could heal like a Phenex. Now, it made some sense for the Phenex to adopt him. Accelerated healing was a bloodline which was unique to the Phenex and considered their major strength after their tears. It allowed them to fight for days and take unnatural amount of punishment. It was no wonder they would want to keep Naruto under their family umbrella.

"So, he's got accelerated healing like your other sons?" Sirzechs asked, still not quite believing it.

"Yes." Lady Phenex replied in a monotone.

"I can understand why you would adopt him into your family," Sirzechs replied as his fingers fidgeted, "But you should know how rare it is for a devil of the pillar to adopt a child, especially a kid with no background or nobility in his blood. The high council is not going to let this go…"

"It's not illegal to adopt a child!" Lady Phenex screamed and glared balefully towards him. She wasn't going to let some bureaucrats take her son away. Not when she had lost him once, already. She just couldn't bear to think about something like that.

"It isn't," Sirzechs replied, his tone somber, "But _you_ of all should know, how much we devils care about being pureblooded, and in these people's eyes you have just made a street urchin into a high class devil without informing any of them. The Baels, Astaroth and not even my family would take this laying down. They would consider this as a grave insult. Especially when your refusal to disclose his existence has caused such serious repercussion to the contract."

"Truthfully, I don't know how my parents are going to react to this," Sirzechs replied democratically, "The contract between us was made under good faith and with the idea of creating stronger and more resilient pureblood lines however now thanks to you people breaking your word, this has turned into a complete mess. We Gremorys are known for our kindness but even we have our limits…"

"If it's just about the contract we can easily renegotiate," Lord Phenex replied, he was exhausted, "We can make concessions as long as they are reasonable, frankly if Rias doesn't want to marry Naruto, we can arrange someone else. We have other children or if you want some other kind of compensation even that can be arranged…." He trailed off knowing that the Lucifer disliked the contract since the very first day it was formed. Even though it was his family who actually brought up the damn thing.

"That's fine Lord Phenex, it just might satiate the Gremorys," Sirzechs replied, "But what about other families, especially the Baels, they have always shown how they feel about reincarnated devils or devils of lesser status…. Zekram Bael was never one to mince words or actions for that matter, he will not take this kindly and considering his house holds the rank of the 'King'… You people are going to have one serious problem in him."

Lord and Lady Phenex paled, their skin went chalk white with fear and a face of absolute terror crossed Lady Phenex's face. Everyone who knew about Zekram would say that, he was a hard and pragmatic man who believed in the old ways of the devils. His cruelty was considered overzealous even by the standards of the devils of old. Considering what he did to his own family Misla and Sairaorg just because the latter couldn't use the Power of Destruction was horrible. They didn't deserved to be exiled from their own home, for a reason so paltry. A man like that would never accept Naruto's existence as a high-class devil or the marriage to his niece 'Rias Gremory.' It would be nothing short of sacrilege for someone like Zekram Bael.

Any further talk between the three was interrupted as two glowing circles of light appeared in front of them. The brightness was so heavy that Sirzechs had to squint his eyes, until they became nothing more than thin lines so that he could see the individuals who had just strolled in the middle of their conversation.

His heart soared the moment he saw a lock of silver hair. It couldn't have been anyone else other than his wife. It was as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders, she was safe and that's all mattered to him. Before he knew it, his legs carried him towards her and he immediately enveloped her in a deep hug. He could feel her stiffen in his arms, Grayfia never liked public displays of affection and normally she would demonstrate her unpleasantness with violence but today it seemed she just didn't have the heart to deny him.

After a minute which felt like ages, Sirzechs finally released his wife as his eyes trekked towards the teenager standing behind him. The softness in his eyes earlier turned into a hard glare. One look at the young Phenex, and immediately Sirzechs felt intense dislike towards him. He didn't know why, he wasn't the kind of person who disliked anyone based on first impressions but there was something about the devil in front of him which just rubbed wrong on his skin. Maybe it was the way he smiled, his posture or the way he regarded everyone around him with cynicism, like he expected worst from the people. His instincts screamed at him to be wary of the young boy and over the course of his life, he had learned to trust his various impulses. After all, they had served him incredibly well in the Civil War.

Sirzechs shared a look with Souji and even he had a frown marring his face. Clearly, even he felt something inherently wrong with the young man standing before them and which set off silent alarms within the two. Sirzechs could've sworn that under all that bravado the boy was afraid of something but it was not of him. This Naruto Phenex walked with caution, the action as simple as breathing to him, as if he expected to be attacked any moment. He only saw that kind of behavior on someone who had went through something traumatic or was involved in some kind of brutal war.

 _How interesting?_ Sirzechs mused.

* * *

The instant Grayfia had told him the teleportation location, a sense of wariness gripped him. It has been so many years since he had seen his parents. Yes, his parents might not have given birth to him but they sure had taken care of him like one, and what did he do to repay them!? He left them like they meant nothing, like they were nothing more than strangers to him. He wished, he could explain his reasons, but they would never understand him. How could anyone ever empathize with him? He was stuck in a world that wasn't his own. Not that he needed anyone's pity.

So it was with great apprehension that Naruto teleported himself to the Kuoh Academy, and the moment he was inside the club, his eyes trekked towards a very familiar woman. Immediately, his heart was filled with intense guilt and shame, his always beautiful mother looked horrible, her eyes were stained red with tears, there were dark circles beneath her eyes. She looked thin and weak. He had never seen his mother this frail. Just how many sleepless nights was he responsible for!?

Naruto stood his ground in utter shame as he refused to look into his mother eyes. He heard the soft click of the soles of her high heeled sandals, then he felt a hand grab his cheek softly as he was forced to look upon the devastated visage of his mother. He opened his mouth to apologize but he was promptly silenced by a tight slap to his cheek.

The crack of skin contacting skin echoed through the walls. Naruto didn't feel pain at least any of physical kind but mentally it was an entire different thing. He deserved all of it…

Naruto could feel the eyes of everyone on him. All of them were watching, holding their breath, none daring to interrupt the Lady of House Phenex.

"I am sorry, mother." He finally choked out through his immense sense of guilt. He didn't think that he was even capable of such emotion anymore. Apparently, he was wrong and deep down he was glad.

Naruto's heart clenched in anguish when the woman in front of him started to sob, thick tears flowed down her cheeks washing away her delicately put mascara, "Do you know how long I have waited to hear you call me mother once more? Do you!?" She screamed by the end of it. Naruto flinched.

And to think he planned to wait at least two more years before he returned home. Had he really lost so much into his work that he stopped caring about his family!? He had never felt this worse in his life, it was somehow worse than the time he killed Sasuke. He ran away from his family, his brothers because he never thought that he deserved people as amazing as them. It might have been because he has always been put down since the day he was born, by his colleagues, his teachers, by the villagers and after sometime you start believing them.

Naruto struggled to apologize again but what else he could do to alleviate his mother's pain. His breath was stolen away from him when he was enveloped in a tight hug. The warmth in the gesture totally catching him off-guard. He could count in single hands, on the number of times he had been hugged like that.

He was used to getting casual with women, but genuine affection always managed to stun him. Maybe because he never really had to go through many of those. The warmth and love in the hug reminded him of a redheaded woman who was so dear to him.

"My baby!" Lady Phenex wailed into his chest, "I have so many things I need to ask but for now just let me hold you… I am not letting you go this time."

It was only after a solid fifteen minutes before Lady Phenex released him only to look at him with wonder, "Just look at you, you have grown so much, you used to be so little but now you are even taller than me… and I didn't get to see you grow at all." She replied as even more tears flowed from her.

"I missed you too, mother," Naruto said, his eyes shimmering as he gripped her tighter, "I just never realized how much. I obsessed over things which I thought mattered the world to me but now I am not so sure… "

* * *

Sirzechs watched the entire thing from the sidelines, he planned on asking questions as soon as possible but that could wait. He wasn't cruel enough to interrupt them, and it didn't seem like the boy was going to pull another one of his stunts. He was still wary of him but now at least he knew that despite the boy's idiotic actions he still loved his family. That was good in his book. There was more to this Naruto Phenex than what's portrayed at first glance.

Even his wife seemed to be immensely surprised and murmured, "Well what do you know, He's not a total cold hearted bastard after all."

Sirzechs raised an eyebrow, he was sure that there was some story there somewhere. He frowned when he saw both the Lord and Lady Phenex hugging and kissing the boy with their very being. He was happy for them, but there were tough times ahead for the family, especially the young teenager. He just hoped they were strong enough to survive it…

 **Well that's the end, I will most probably now work on my RWBY story. This chapter took a lot out of me, at first I thought that I would just make some simple changes from the original but that didn't work out. So I had to write almost the entire chapter from the scratch, scrapping the original version of crazyrajat.**

 **Share your thoughts in the review, give me any kind of criticism you please. I would love to hear all of them. Try to write long reviews describing how you like the plot, writing and everything. It really helps to improve my writing. Love you guys very much! You all have been very supportive so far...**

 **SamaelTheDevil is out :D**


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